The present invention is directed to a swab for cleaning. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a multi-layer swab having a sealed outer layer or cover.
Swabs are used in all manners of cleaning. For example, everyone will recognize common cotton tipped swabs that are used for person hygiene and care. Because of the compact and effective nature of these swabs, they have been adopted for use in numerous areas of technology and manufacture. One such area is the manufacture of advanced optical components for use in aerospace and navigation systems.
During manufacture and use of optical components it is not unusual for pieces of manufacturing debris, such as dust and fibers or other particulate debris to be left on surface of the components. It is also not unusual for light oils, such as fingerprint and other natural skin oils to be found on many of these parts. The debris and oils can significantly degrade, distort or prevent the proper and precise transmission of images.
Numerous types of cleaning implements have been used, with some degrees of success, to clean these particularly sensitive areas. It has, however, been observed that cleaning implements formed from non-particulate removing materials may not be acceptable for this use. Specifically, it has been found that particulates that are not removed can become lodged in and around these components, thus adversely effecting the quality of the images.
Often, liquids are used to assist in the cleaning process. For example, water or other light solvents maybe applied to the swab to assist in removing contaminants such as oils, particulates and the like.
Other cleaning swabs have also been used with varying degrees of success. For example, one known swab includes a polyurethane foam over a cotton core. However, it has been found that polyurethane is not sufficiently soft (for contact with sensitive components and surfaces), and is not sufficiently hydrophilic (to absorb water or other solvents) to facilitate the cleaning process.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a swab-type cleaning device that can be used for cleaning sensitive components and surfaces. Desirably, such a device leaves little to no residue from the device within the component or on the surface. More desirably, such a device can be used wet or dry; that is, it can be used with or without a solvent (such as water) to facilitate cleaning. Most desirably, such a cleaning device is structurally stable when wet, serves well to distribute any liquid throughout the device and is resistant to cutting.